1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the production of hydrogen peroxide by the oxidation of methyl benzyl alcohol.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hydrogen peroxide is an important chemical of commerce which is produced in very large quantities for use in a number of industrial applications. The predominant process used commercially for the production of hydrogen peroxide involves the oxidation of anthrahydroquinone, extraction of hydrogen peroxide and reduction of the resulting anthraquinone to anthrahydroquinone which is reused. This process requires very high capital expenditures in that use of a working solvent with efficient recycle of various process components is a necessity.
Substantial efforts have been directed to processes which involve direct combination of hydrogen and oxygen but thus far such processes have not found widespread success.
Hydrogen peroxide has been formed by the oxidation of secondary alcohols. At one time the production of hydrogen peroxide by oxidation of isopropanol was practiced commercially. Other secondary alcohols which have been mentioned as possible starting materials for hydrogen peroxide production include methyl benzyl alcohol and cyclohexanol. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,871,102-4 of Shell Development.
Hydrogen peroxide has also been formed by oxidation of high boiling secondary alcohols such as diaryl methanol, the product hydrogen peroxide being stripped from the reaction mixture during oxidation; see U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,632.
In certain commercial technologies, there are produced substantial quantities of various secondary alcohols. For example, in the coproduction of propylene oxide and styrene monomer by hydroperoxide epoxidation, methyl benzyl alcohol is formed and ultimately converted by dehydration to styrene monomer. See U S. Pat. No. 3,351,635.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,252 describes an improved process for the oxidation of methyl benzyl alcohol to hydrogen peroxide including control of the water concentration in the reaction mixture below 4% by weight. Related U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,041,680, 5,039,508, 4,994,625, 4,975,266 and 4,897,085 are also generally concerned with this technology.
The present invention provides a further improvement in this technology.